InfoBlueprint is SA's first dedicated data management and information quality specialist

Accurate and reliable information and the data on which it is based is a cornerstone of business success, but its value is often not appreciated, setting companies up for under-achievement and possibly full-blown business failure.

InfoBlueprint, a home-grown South African company, is the first dedicated specialist consulting firm in SA to address this very real Achilles heel head on.

Spotting the need in the South African market for this specialised service, Cape-based InfoBlueprint is fully geared to address the impact poor quality data and information has on business-wide processes, customer relationships, decision-making and ultimately the bottom line.

The team's wealth of knowledge and global experience across-industries puts them in a strong position to provide data management and information quality solutions tailored to a broad range of business functions such as governance, customer relationship management, business process, and risk management in a variety of industries.

Data quality issues are regularly addressed by international groups such as Gartner and the Aberdeen Group. In a 2007 Gartner report, Ted Friedman states: "A strong focus on data quality will significantly increase the value of business intelligence, CRM, maser data management, and other critical business initiatives. Organisations that include data quality methodology, processes, metrics and technology in these efforts will not only minimise risk, but will increase immediate post-implementation success and ensure ongoing value."

Bryn Davies, managing director of InfoBlueprint, says: "We can see the successes of companies like Santam who have been on top of their data management and information quality - in tune with international standards - for some time now, but the majority of SA businesses do not view data and information as a valuable asset and this has a direct impact on their success.

"High-quality information can only be created from high-quality and effectively managed data. Often this data is incomplete, invalid, inconsistent, misinterpreted or not compliant with business rules, and this weak foundation has a damaging impact on decision-making, planning, customer relations, service-delivery, productivity and competitive advantage." says Davies.

"An illustration of this can be seen clearly in CRM, where quality customer data is core to customer relationships, but often overlooked. Technology and packages promise features intended to nurture customer relationships, but these often backfire when customers discover inaccuracies in their interactions with the organisation or in contact details, product, supplier, asset or financial information." Furthermore, with sound records management becoming a greater expectation in terms of compliance as set, for example, by the forthcoming Companies Bill, it would be prudent for companies to invest in and sharpen up on their data quality activities. Well aware of the importance of good governance, InfoBlueprint is well versed in South African data-related compliance obligations including those presented by international bodies such as Sarbanes-Oxley and Basel II.

The blueprint for success is for businesses to thoroughly and objectively assess their organisational data and information management processes, followed by a programme of preventive and corrective measures and further prioritising of actions to improve quality, reduce risk, improve efficiency, cut costs, enhance decision making and maximise ROII (return on investment in information).

As a reasonably new concept to SA, many companies may be concerned at the price tag of addressing their data quality issues, but Davies assures that solutions can be tailored to business need and budget. "Ultimately the return on investment in high-quality data management and information is invaluable, and is guaranteed to provide tangible business benefits in the longer term."